For many years now we have been led to believe that most commercially produced olive oils are the best and most pure available, unfortunately we were in some cases deceived
In previous years Olive oil from the supermarkets was all that was available to most of us, unless you was one of the lucky ones as I was to have 2 x 25 liter containers shipped to us every year from our own groves in Cyprus, we would share our gift with members of our family as they would share theirs

The rest of our produce would be sold off to the co operatives, who would ship it off to the commercial producers mainly in Italy for blending and repackaging
Many olive oils sold in British supermarkets are blended from a variety of different oils and the acidity levels chemically adjusted in order that they can be labeled extra virgin olive oil

Some of these commercial producers have been found to have blended their oils with cheap hazelnut oil as well as or with sunflower oil
It is also a fact that they have been importing olive oil from Spain, Greece, Tunisia and Turkey, blending it and marketing it as superior Italian olive oil
They have also been importing olives from the other olive producing countries and producing olive oil and marketing it as superior Italian olive oil (please note that the best olive oil is made with olives that have been picked within 24 to 36 hours, I doubt very much whether they can pick and ship olives from countries such as Tunisia and press olive oil within 36 hours).

I urge you to read the articles regarding this great fraud by clicking on the links below

I have written this article so that people can see that they have not in all cases been buying the genuine item
Most genuine producers are finding it difficult enough marketing their genuine products at realistic prices
Bearing in mind the higher costs of looking after the trees, as well as the cost of packaging and transportation
in my case my costs of transporting my oil from Cyprus is in excess of £1 per liter, add to that the cost of looking after the trees, harvesting the olives , taking to the press, packaging and marketing etc.

How on earth are supermarkets in the UK able to sell for example a one liter stone capped glass bottle of olive oil labeled as extra virgin olive oil produced in Tuscany, Italy, which I have sometimes seen on special offer at £3.99
In my case it is not cost affective to get organic certification, although everything I produce is to organic standards, might it be an idea to create an independent organization of small olive oil producers, or is there one already in existence?

please rest assured that my olive oil is from my olive groves in Cyprus and Turkey where myself or members of my immediate family not only look after the trees but also pick the olives when they are green or turning purple and take to the press within 24 to 36 hours at the most

For those of you with any doubts, you are more than welcome to book a stay on my olive groves in Turkey and see at first hand, depending on the time of year the looking after of the olive trees or come Oct / Nov the picking and the pressing.

I then have the oil and my table olives transported to the UK where I sell it through my shop in clerkenwell as well as at whitecross street market and through the internet You are more than welcome to put my oil through any test you like; it is pure extra virgin single estate oil and only available from me directly
Regards mem

Last edited by mr olive oil on Sun Sep 07, 08 1:33 pm; edited 1 time in total

Having worked as a lab tech for one of the UK's biggest veg oil importers at least the origins of the olives issue is common knowledge throughout the industry. The majority of olive oil EXPORTED from Italy has been grown in Spain, Tunisia etc. So long as it is processed in Italy it is marketed as Italian olive oil.

Since leaving the industry I have stayed as far away from supermarket olive oil as possible. chateau-carman's example of the 'Tuscan' olive oil is a prime example of clever marketing . The closest the oil got to Tuscany was probably in the bacl of a lory in a haulier's warehouse.

one a slightly separate note, within the industry all efforts are made to keep all oils, from plain old rapeseed and sunflower to the most expensive 1st Press Extra Virgin Olive oil in opaque containers and away from direct light. Light helps the oxidizing process which gives oil a 'rancid' taste and reduces its shelf life. Look down a supermarket isles next time you pass one by on the way to the local farm shop/grocery stall and see how the oil is stored!

i have recently been in touch with a very good friend of mine who retired to tuscany some 15 years ago
on discussing the olive oil issue, i asked him how much the locals pay for a liter of extra virgin olive oil from the local producers
20 euros per liter was the answer
that alone speaks volumes

Taking a slightly different slant on the olive oil discussion - do downsizers realize that from a health point of view there are better alternatives? I didn't realize myself until a few months ago when I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and I was told that it would be diet controlled - apparently (unfortunately) butter is the absolutely worst thing to eat - for this condition - and so I decided to only eat small amounts of olive oil - but then I was informed that rapeseed oil was even better (especially to cook with) and guess what, this rapeseed oil is dirt cheap compared to virgin olive oil - it's actually the first time I've ever been told that something is really better for us and it is even lots cheaper than the next bet thing!

Anyway... I believe (someone will correct me if I'm wrong) that rapeseed oil has a lower saturated fat content than olive oil. I don't know why that would be important. I think I read something about this way back in the mid 90s, about rapeseed oil being different to olive oil because of how it did something or other to liporoteins, but for the life of me I can't remember. Where's there a nutritionist when you need one...

i have also heard about the wonders of repeseed oil, but beware as there is no established authority to control quality, in other words the producer can put extra virgin on the label when it is really the bottom end of the market and as far as i am aware there is presently no control over this
regards mem

Up against the wall with the homeopaths and crystal healers, if there's any justice. You want a dietician, someone with qualifications. *Anyone* can call themselves a nutritionist. Hello, Gillian McKeith!

Up against the wall with the homeopaths and crystal healers, if there's any justice. You want a dietician, someone with qualifications. *Anyone* can call themselves a nutritionist. Hello, Gillian McKeith!